Escape Attempts
by ShadyNinjaProductions
Summary: "Would we be here tomorrow? Yes. Would we still be here in a week? A month? More than likely. But would we ever try to leave again? Every chance we get." At first, it was only Lithuania's idea. Escaping. But then they all wanted out. The problem is, how can they leave without getting caught? No matter what, the Baltics agree to stick together. Warnings inside.
1. Failure

**Escape Attempts**

**Rated Mature.**

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**Author's Notes**:

I am aware that I am already working on another fanfiction. But I can multitask, I swear.

I do not own Hetalia. I do, however, love the anime and the fandom.

Human names used, as well as nation names.

Escape Attempts will describe not only the escape attempts made by the Baltics, but their lives living with Russia. Abuse, unromantic sex and other things inside.

Historical inaccuracy.

Constructive criticism appreciated and wanted. Leave a review on what you thought of it?

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"Shh, you'll wake him up."

Although the words had been no louder than a murmur, Toris still felt as though he'd set off an alarm or caused an earthquake. A house as big as Russia's had the bad habit of echoing, one of the many reasons the Baltics hardly ever got much sleep. So many worries filled him now. What if the floors suddenly creaked beneath their feet? What if, in their excitement, one of them slammed the door shut? Or what if someone fell down the stairs? Lithuania was beginning to regret his spur of the moment decision. Not only had he endangered himself, but now Estonia and Latvia's lives were dangling by a string too. He couldn't find the strength to turn back however, as when he looked into the younger nations' eyes, they mirrored his own: Fearful yet hopeful. They'd rather be dead than spend another night inside of this madhouse.

"Follow me," the oldest nation whispered, tiptoeing past several empty rooms. He stopped in his tracks when he noticed whose room he was nearing. Russias. Swallowing, he looked around as calmly as he could for any other possible escape routes. None that he could see or think of. Giving a low, wary sigh, he decided it would be worth it if this worked out. Turning to look at his brothers, he pressed a finger to his own lips. "Shh," he repeated. The two nodded, shaking like wet dogs. "Calm down, he'll catch us." Again, the two nodded, trying their best to stay still. "Good, let's go then."

Taking a few quiet steps, he passed the dreaded door as quickly and silently as he could. Luckily, he went unnoticed. Peering inside of the Russians room, he inwardly sighed in relief that the large nation was still peacefully asleep. He nodded to the other two, heading for the stairs when he heard the god awful sound. The sound he'd been hoping he wouldn't hear.

_Creak!_

Toris' head whipped around to glare at his brothers for their carelessness. Estonia held his hands up in defense, bobbing his head towards Latvia. Lithuania glanced around again. Russia was nowhere in sight. _Phew, that was a close one... _He gestured for his brothers to go down the stairs first. "Ivan" always claimed that the mahogany haired nation was his favorite, so he would get more chances to escape. He was ninety nine point nine percent sure of it. First, Latvia, who received a smack behind the head for being spacey at a time like this, then Estonia who descended quiet as a mouse down the stairs. Finally, Lithuania followed closely behind-

Or at least he'd been planning on it.

He felt a large hand grip his shoulder tightly before suddenly feeling pain against his back. Had he been slammed against a wall? Maybe. His vision had gone hazy and everything happened in a blur. Estonia was trying to explain, Latvia was sobbing and then they both screamed. Struggling to focus, Lithuania realized what had happened. Russia caught them. He grabbed him by the shoulder and had thrown him against the wall. "P-Please! You don't understand! We weren't trying to leave you!" Eduard spluttered, backing into a wall while trying to shield Latvia, whom was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Oh? Then what were you doing?!"

Estonia hadn't even gotten to answer. Straining to hear, Toris could only hear screams. He couldn't tell if they were from horror or anguish. Just that they were coming from his brothers. And then there was sobbing again. "Whose idea was this?"

No answer. Only Latvia's weeping was heard, growing louder as a smacking sound was made.

"Tell me right now, Estonia."

"I-"

"It was me," called Toris from the top of the stairs. Silence followed this statement for a brief moment, before he heard a heavy, sad sigh. _It's all an act, isn't it? To make us feel guilty. _

At the bottom of the stairs stood the younger Baltic brothers, both of whom tried to make a run for it when Russia appeared. Estonia stared at the wooden floor, tightening his arms around Latvia, who had tears streaming down his face. "Eduard, Raivis," They hated how he used their human names, as if he actually cared for them, "Go to your room. I will deal with you both in the morning."

Eduard and Raivis nodded with a quiet, "Yes sir," before rushing back up the stairs. Normally, they'd drag their feet in shame, but now they couldn't get to the shelter of their room fast enough. A sober, happy Russia was already enough to deal with, but an angry one? Haha, no.

It was a night of guilt for the Baltics.

When the younger Baltics passed Lithuania on their way to the shared bedroom, the three exchanged a look. First, there was Eduard. As he and Latvia passed Lithuania, they saw he wasn't bruised or bloody yet, but the way he sat against the wall...you could tell he'd slunk down. And the last time the other two had seen him, he'd been hurrying down the stairs so it was obvious he hadn't been leaning against it. It could be worse. It would be worse. _Imagine if we'd made it out.._ Estonia could picture it now. He and Latvia would have ran until they could find a place to hide or other means of transportation. They would have never been able to live in peace, however, knowing that they'd basically left Toris for dead. They would always wonder what would have happened if they had turned around. And then he felt guilty for Latvia as well. Estonia had been the second to go down the stairs, and he actually thought they might make it out of there when he turned to see Russia through Lithuania against the wall. Both he and Raivis had screamed, rushing for the door. Eduard only remembered hearing a thump as he bumped into his little 'brother', sending him down the stairs. And now the small nation was limping. The part the middle Baltic felt guilty about was the fact he had considered leaving the smaller one behind. Even if the injury was partially...mostly...all of Eduard's fault. So instead of taking off, he stayed behind, enduring the slaps and the kicks to the groin and face in order to spare Toris and shield Raivis.

Then there was Toris. He felt guilty as hell. Neither of them would be hurt had he not woken them up in the middle of the night with his "brilliant" idea. Not only had he put them in danger, but he'd gotten their hopes up. Even if it had been less than ten minutes ago, his memory was hazy, but he could remember his brothers quiet voices in the dark, asking "What if we get caught?" "Are you sure this will work?" And like a complete airhead, he'd said "No, we won't get caught. Of course I'm sure." _Idiot, idiot, idiot! _Seeing them both limp and the red hand mark on Estonia's cheek made him angry at not only himself, but at Russia. Nations they may be, but Estonia and Latvia were still young, not in the terms of nation years, but human years. In nation years, they were pretty old. But in human years... Had they not been living with Russia, the two would probably be doing teenage-y things. Instead, they **were** here. Estonia with his arm around Latvia, both looking like kicked puppies as they made their way down the hall. _I'll get the two of you out of here somehow. Someday._ Unfortunately, that day was not today.

Finally, there was Raivis. Whereas Eduard felt guilty for thinking of leaving them behind and Toris felt guilty for getting them into that situation, the Latvian felt guilty for both. He had been the one to make the floor creak. Maybe if he hadn't done that, they'd be running to their freedom, but nooo. He had to be the careless one. The stupid one. The spacey one. God, why was he such an idiot? And then on top of that, he'd thought of leaving Toris behind. Karma worked fast apparently. He only felt a mere push and then down the stairs he went. His ankle bent in a way it shouldn't have when he hit the ground and he let out a scream of pain. Luckily, Eduard knelt down next to him, examining it quickly. "Oh go-" "Let me take care of it" They both looked up to see Russia staring them down. Estonia positioned himself so he was right in front of Latvia, but he was kicked out of the way as the monster knelt down in front of the injured party. Pleading with him not to do anything, Latvia let out a scream of agony as the Russian jerked his ankle back into place. Shutting his eyes, he felt Estonia's arms around him again, the older nation trying to reason with danger in the flesh. After all this, little Latvia still couldn't do anything to help. He couldn't do anything about the hits Estonia was obviously taking by the grunts and yelps of pain he made. He couldn't do anything about the beating Lithuania was going to take. And he couldn't take back his thoughts of leaving them behind. All he could do was limp, sob, and apologize. His ankle was killing him. The pain was surprisingly forgotten in the heat of the moment, but now that they were in their bedroom, the pain was excruciating. Useless and a broken ankle. _What a package._

Yes, the three all felt guilty, but they had all paid for their actions in some way or the other. Lithuania had his punishment from Russia, Estonia probably would never have kids and Latvia had a broken ankle. Only one other thought clouded the trios minds that night.

Throat feeling sore and probably bruised in the back, Lithuania lie next to Russia in his bed. He would have gotten up, but of course, he was in too much pain to move at the moment and he didn't want the larger man to think he was trying to run away again. So there he lie on his stomach as to not irritate the new scars on his back, thinking deeply about his next move. _My back hurts, my brothers were limping and __to top it all off, we'll still be here tomorrow. _Then he realized something. _But will we be here in a week? A month? _ Shutting his eyes, he knew the answer. _More than likely. _Gritting his teeth, he asked himself another question. _Will we ever try to leave again?_ A faint smile weaseled its way onto his face. _Every chance we get._

_My manhood..._ Eduard felt ridiculous. Yeah, he was worried about **that** of all things, but almost any man in his place would be. Could he even consider himself a man? Did men do what he did? Let some larger man push them around like this? Did women even do that? Estonia searched his mind, thinking of every country he could remember. America would never take this. Finland? Sweden couldn't be too bad. He was... frightening, yeah, but he did call Finland his wife. Eh. Poland didn't take this and he could be considered a...shemale. Hungary would fuck up any man that tried to treat her like this. He sat up in his bed, considering it. _I'm getting out of here as soon as possible._

_I'm so insecure._ Estonia had fixed him up to the best of his ability, which wasn't too good, but it worked. Ankle throbbing, Latvia stared up at the ceiling, unable to sleep. Earlier, he'd thought himself useless, which, at the moment was true..but..._ I'm small..I could probably run to get help... If my ankle wasn't broken, that is._ He could hide. It was less suspicious if only one was missing. They could leave one by one. …...That was it! "Eduard..?" Turning, he saw the Estonian sitting up in his bed staring into space.

"Yes Raivis?"

"I have an idea."

And so began the escape attempts.


	2. Second Try

It had been months since their last escape attempt. Russia surely thought they wouldn't dare try to leave him again, but as usual, he wasn't very good at reading the Baltics. An escape plan had been in the works for months. Every last detail had to be perfect.

"I feel like we're planning a wedding," Raivis mused out loud one night in the middle of planning. They always waited until Russia was sound asleep to talk about it. It was safer that way. The older nations looked at him strangely, Eduard sighing and Toris smiling after a moment or two.

"The occasion's just as joyous," whispered Toris, earning himself two "mhmm"'s of approval.

"It would be easier to plan if we wrote it down," Estonia murmured with another sigh, pushing his glasses back into place. The other two looked up at him alarmed. Just as they opened their mouths to protest, Eduard held a hand up. "I know, I know. We can't risk Mr. Russia seeing the plans." At that, they gave him a relieved smile, going back to what they were doing.

"Remember, we meet at the cottage over in the woods just ten miles away, from there..well, I guess we can talk about it there," Toris reminded them. Estonia might not need reminding, but spacey Latvia would.

Raivis lay back in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. "I'm surprised you two actually went looking for a place to meet up."

Eduard, taking Latvia's cue, removed his glasses and set them on the nightstand. "We didn't think it'd be good to stay...well. To be away from each other once the real danger was past." Even after five long months of debating about it, they still didn't feel quite right with the thought of, "Every man for himself." They'd already be worried sick about each other getting hurt or caught while they were together, but at least then they would know for sure. If they were separated, they wouldn't have that comfort.

Five months since their last escape attempt.

They would have tried to escape again sooner, but there were several things holding them back. For one, two out of the three were injured. In their condition, Toris and Raivis probably wouldn't have made it. But now that they were healed, they could finally make their move. Of course, since then and now, they had received a few slaps and kicks but nothing was broken, so that was good. Eduard smiled to himself as he curled up in his bed. They would be out of here soon.

The next day went well. No punishments, just Russia creeping them out and pushing down on Latvia's head then continuing to stretch him. Nothing major. Instead of staying up to plan, the trio went to sleep as early as Ivan allowed. "We'll need to be well rested, we're already out of shape," A shaky Toris had told them. Too many emotions kept Estonia and Lithuania awake. Nervousness. Would this work? Fear. What if they got caught? Those chances were very likely. Excitement. What if this worked? They could be home by the next week or so. Dawn came slowly but surely and up the two were, ready to put the plan into action. Both hurriedly changed into their work clothes, looking over to the mastermind behind the plot- Well, the person who had come up with the idea: Latvia. Sound asleep, he let out soft snores, turning to face the wall.

Eduard reached an arm out to grab his arm, gently shaking him awake. "Get up, Raivis. You're the one leaving first."

Yawning, said Latvian sat up, rubbing his eyes. His brothers were already getting everything ready for him, just as they had talked about. Looking outside, he realized how early it was. _It's bright outside, what if.. _"Someone sees," mumbled the sleepy nation. The other two gave him a weird look, before shaking their heads.

"Come on, we don't have much time!" Lithuania said, speaking in an urgent but hushed tone. Complying, the youngest Baltic nation moved to pull one shirt after another on, one pair of slacks over the other, jackets over sweaters... Anything he couldn't wear, went into the medium sized backpack. Toris moved to put a hat on his younger brothers head before backing off. "Are you ready for this?" A nod in response.

"Alright, just remember, don't stop until you get to the cottage. Do you remember how to get there?" Another nod. "Make sure you keep quiet. We'll be right behind you, alright?"

Latvia nodded a third time before adding quietly, "Isn't it funny? I knew it was the last night I would be in my bed, yet I slept soundly." Neither of the older Baltics had the heart to tell him there was a fifty-fifty chance it wouldn't be his last night sleeping in his bed. Instead they merely agreed quietly.

Taking their places, Toris stood lookout as Estonia rushed Raivis quickly yet silently to the front door. Readjusting the straps of his backpack, Latvia gulped giving his brother a nervous smile before exiting the door. Swallowing, Eduard shut the door quietly, looking up at the top of the stairs where Lithuania stood. The two exchanged a look.

_God, please let this work._


	3. Halfway There

Raivis had been gone for about two hours now.

Lithuania was worried sick.

Estonia was anxious to meet up with him.

Toris was worried for many reasons. Latvia was so clumsy. What if he'd slipped on some ice? He was spacey too, what if he forgot where to go? What if he got sick on the way there? It was freezing, as it always was in Russia. Or what if Estonia and Lithuania never got the chance to leave? Little Latvia, waiting...freezing to death. Or what if he didn't die from the cold? What if, after he realized his brothers weren't coming, he went to Mr. Germany? He had requested they depend on the German in favor of the Russian. All of this made it hard to concentrate on cooking. Shaking it off, he focused on the task at hand. _I guess I'll just have to trust him._

Eduard was anxious because well... Frankly, he didn't want to be in here at the moment. But then, if he had left with Latvia, Russia would surely beat Toris for it. No, it was better this way. His heart was pounding against his chest in anticipation of the evening to come. First, they would have to cover for Latvia. Then, when Russia decided to go searching, they would take off themselves, covering their tracks along the way. It had to work. _It has to._

Just as they were finishing up breakfast, they heard heavy footsteps make their way down the stairs. The two exchanged a glance. _The moment of truth._

Russia poked his head into the kitchen, giving them a cheerful smile. "Good morning my little Bal-" Cutting off mid-sentence, the large man did a double take. Eyes narrowing in suspicion, he spoke again, letting as much acid as possible to leak into his voice. "Where is little Latvia?"

Although they had been expecting this, the two gulped, turning to face the questioner.

Clearing his throat, Lithuania responded in the most cheerful voice he could muster up, "I sent him grocery shopping. We're running out of many things. Right Estonia?"

Eduard gave a quiet nod. "I'll set the table for you now, Mr. Russia," he said quickly, rushing to do as he said.

That left Toris alone with Ivan.

"When will he be back?" Russia said in a low voice, stepping towards Toris.

The latter took in a deep breath of air, trembling as the former got closer. "I-I'm not sure," spluttered Toris. It wasn't a total lie. He wasn't sure about much at this point. Seemingly happy with this answer, Russia wandered back into the dining room.

Hours and hours past before the storm hit.

Both Eduard and Toris were seated on the couch in Russias office, backs straight but heads low as they stared at the carpet like it was the most fascinating thing in the world. Then there was the danger in the flesh, pacing back and forth in front of them with a fierce expression on his face. Eventually, he stopped in his tracks, turning to face the shaking duo. "By your frightened expressions, I am assuming you know why I called you two in here, da?" Faces paling, both of them choked out a quiet, "Yes sir", before going back to silence.

Tapping his foot like a mother who had just caught her two children causing mischief, Ivan crossed his arms, glaring holes in his underlings heads. "So then, if Latvia is not at the store, then where is he?"

Folding his hands in his lap, Toris's breath hitched before responding. "I-I don't know, sir. I gave him the grocery list and whatnot but-"

"But?"

The shaking increased tenfold at the emotion in their boss's voice. Anger and something that sounded a bit like pain. Probably to make them feel guilty. "But he must have-"

"-tried to escape!" finished the Russian. Eduard could imagine a light bulb appearing over his head in a comedic fashion. Well, if the situation wasn't so dangerous. Toris spluttered and stammered, trying to convince Mr. Braginski otherwise, but in nearly no time at all, out the door was Ivan with a quick "Stay here!" shouted.

"...He didn't even grab his coat." On that note from Estonia, Lithuania was on his foot, rushing for the door.

"We should leave ours behind too then. He'll be in a hurry."

"You're right!"

They hurried out the back door, teeth chattering as the cold hit them. Oh, how they dreaded winter in Russia. Hopefully, this would be their last. They ran as fast as they could, quickly running out of breath.

"Wow, we're so out of shape," panted Estonia as he slowed down.

Lithuania grabbed his arm, pulling him to run faster. "We can't afford a break!"

Ten miles was too many miles. Lithuania was able to keep going, presumably from his time in the Commonwealth, but Estonia felt like his throat was bleeding. Finally, the cottage came into view. Skittering to a stop, Eduard put his hands on his knees, doubling over in a coughing fit. Cold and tired. The cottage was far from Russia's house but it was still in his country. How long would it suffice them?

Lithuania, whom was also breathing heavily, threw the door of the cottage open. "Raivis!?" He called. Sure enough, there sat said Latvian on the only furniture the cottage had in it's only room, smiling proudly although his teeth were chattering from the cold. Everything was laid out in a sort of bed format. Good thing they'd come when they had or Latvia probably would have sat up all night waiting in the cold, not bothering to cover himself up. Going over to give his youngest brother a hug, Toris breathed a sigh of relief. "Well done."

"Well done indeed." The two froze, instantly recognizing the voice with a sick feeling in their stomachs. Russia.

Not even bothering to look at him, Toris held Raivis in his arm soothingly. "How did you find us?"

Giving an eery smile, Russia held up an out of breath Estonia by the back of his shirt. "I guess he was the one who was to cover your tracks?"

Of course. That's where they had went wrong. In their haste, neither of them had even bothered to cover their footprints. _We're idiots.._

"Come now. Let us go home. I believe a punishment is in order, da?"

"T-Taip..."

"J-Ja..."

And a mere nod from Eduard were the responses.

Failure, yet again.


	4. The Things He'll Do

Emerald.

Violet.

Turquoise.

These were the colors of three very terrified sets of eyes. The owners sat on a large bed, one which would fit at least seven people perhaps. _Why is his bed so big? _The turquoise eyes owner wondered, having never set foot in the bedroom. Emerald had never allowed violet or turquoise in there, no matter what the reason was. Of course, it wasn't like they wanted to go in there. Curiosity killed the cat. Except, instead of cats, they were much more like mice. The prey. And the predator? He was rummaging through his closet.

Eduard looked at the two figures beside him. Latvia, owner of the violet eyes, was shivering like crazy, quietly sobbing in fear of what was to happen. Next to him was Lithuania, owner of the emerald eyes, looking depressed and...defeated. No, not defeated. As if he'd been beaten, but it didn't phase him. _He wants to try again..._ Estonia mused. They would talk about it later.

Finally finding what he was looking for, Russia turned to the Baltics, a seemingly sad smile on his face. _Yeah right, you're probably enjoying this, _thought Lithuania and Estonia, both of whom couldn't bring themselves to look at what the sadistic man had in his hands.

"I am guessing this was Toris's idea?" Walking over to them slowly but surely, he reached out to grab said Lithuanian's arm when...

"N-No, it was mine.."

Latvia had piped up, eyes fixated on the hardwood floor. He was going to be punished anyway. Might as well get it over with. Toris had always said the beatings weren't as bad as they seemed, so maybe they had no real reason to worry.

Releasing his grip on Lithuania, the snowy haired man grabbed Latvia, throwing him to the ground. "Take your shirt off."

At this, all three Baltics panicked. Lithuania knew what was coming. _No, no, no, no, no!_ Absentmindedly, he reached out for little Latvia only to receive a backhand from Ivan. "Stay back."

Eduard's head snapped up the moment Latvia had spoken up. Now he was watching the scene before him with a deadpan expression, unable to fully understand the scene. Until now, Toris had taken the worst of the beatings. And now, here was Raivis, kneeling on the floor with bruised knees from being thrown and unbuttoning his shirt quickly all while trembling.

Setting it down by his side quietly, Raivis did not dare move until Russia spoke again. "Hands and knees."

With a gulp, he did as he was instructed, knees feeling sore and most likely bruising.

It was nothing compared to the excruciating pain he felt next.

He let out a scream of agony, very nearly crumpling to the ground from it. "Stay on all fours!" Russia said sternly, bringing his whip down onto Latvia's back again.

The young nation bit his lip to refrain from screaming, but the attempt was in vain. The pain was too much. He could feel the blood trickling down his back, the blisters and the soon to be scars. It felt like forever. Trying to forget the pain, he tried to remember other things, but he couldn't. Pain, pain, pain. Screeching, sobbing, begging for it to stop. It was like a never ending cycle.

"Stop!"

And then it was over. It was all a blur. Just one word.

"Stop!"

The next thing Latvia remembered was darkness. Nothingness. Death? Passing out? Sleep?

Whatever it was, he welcomed it with open arms.

"Stop!" cried Lithuania. Russia froze before glancing backwards at Toris.

"What?" The word was said with such casualty, as if he hadn't just been beating a boy to death.

_Sickening._

"I want to make a deal with you." This seemed to interest the Russian, for he agreed, telling Eduard to take Raivis back to the room the Baltics shared. As soon as the door closed, the two were face to face, no one there to witness what was about to be said.

"I want you to leave my brothers be. No matter what." Surprisingly, Toris had manged to keep a steady voice while making this request, however his face probably gave him away.

"And what do I get in return?"

Choosing his words carefully, Lithuania swallowed. "Whatever you want. From me though. Not them."

They stood in silence for a long time while Russia made his decision. Finally, he spoke up. "You will be mine, da?"

Confused, Lithuania nodded. "I already am yours, Mr. Braginski."

Shaking his head, the taller of the two closed the space between them, wrapping his arms around the smallers waist and pulling him close. "Not in that way, Lithuania."

_...What? Not in that way? Then what does he- Wait...Ohhh..._

Swallowing, Toris looked up to stare into Russias eyes. "Like...together as a couple...?" At this, the Russian man nodded. Sighing, Lithuania dropped his gaze to the floor, feeling as if he had just lost one of his freedoms. _The things I do for Eduard and Raivis..._ It wasn't like he'd have to act long though... Another plan would be in the works soon enough...Hopefully. So he whispered "Taip Ivan," and returned the mans kiss with feigned passion. The two worked their way onto the bed, never breaking the kiss until it came to undressing. Whereas Ivan was probably enjoying this, Toris was hating every second of it. From the fight for dominance with their tongues, to the stroking and the prepping, all the way to climax...He hated it. But he would have to do it again. And again. And again.

_What did I get myself into..._


	5. Babysitters

**Sorry for the late update. This chapters been in the works for ages.**

**Thank you to the people following this story and to the one person that reviewed~**

"This will be your new room. I think you have lost the privilege of separate beds, da?"

The room was cramped, with only a single bed. There was no way the three of them would fit on there, that was just how small it seemed. But instead of protesting, the three just nodded solemnly, the smallest flinching from the blisters on his back. "It's perfect." Estonia and Latvia's heads snapped up to stare at Lithuania with shocked expressions.

_It's far from perfect!_ Thought Estonia.

_Have you gone mad?!_ Thought Latvia.

He gave them a reassuring smile, moving to examine the bed. Ghosting his fingers over the thin sheets, he nodded, turning to them again, smile brightening. "Taip, perfect for the three of us. Thank you, Ivan."

Said man gave them a cheerful smile before exiting. "I'll leave you three to get accustomed," he called over his shoulder.

The three waited until he was out of earshot to speak, and even then they used low voices.

"I hate this room. Our old room was bearable..but..but this!" Eduard would have been pacing had there been more room to walk.

"It isn't that bad, Ed..."

"The floor creaks, Toris!" As if to emphasize his point, the blonde pressed his foot down on the hardwood floor, a loud creak making itself known.

Latvia gulped, not moving from his place in the doorway. "H-He probably wants m-make sure we w-won't run away a-again..."

The older two stared at Latvia in silence as they picked up on the stutter in his voice. "What's wrong?" They both asked in unison.

"W-What d-do you m-mean? I'm f-fine..."

"Latvia, you're stammering and Mr. Russia isn't even in here."

While it was true that the trembling trio usually tripped over their words in Russias presence, they spoke perfectly fine when he wasn't around. Raivis hadn't calmed down since the whipping he'd received, although who could really blame him for that? It only happened three nights ago.

"_Isn't it funny? I knew it was the last night I would be in my bed, yet I slept soundly."_

How ironic that he was partially right.

Sighing, expression nervous, Raivis shook his head. "H-He's always l-listening..."

_He's been so paranoid lately..._

"Latvia..." Careful of his back, Toris hugged Raivis lightly in an effort to comfort the younger nation. It was no use. The little on still shook like crazy, still afraid that Russia may be listening in on every word they were saying. Eduard groaned, looking around the room in exasperation. Great, getting out of here was going to be ten times harder now that...wait...is that...

"A window!"

Lithuania and Latvia looked in the direction Estonia was pointing.

"...If you t-think I'm j-jumping out of t-there, you h-have got another thing c-coming..." Latvia seemed to calm down a bit, distracted by the new issue at hand. Estonia toyed around with the window for a bit, finding that it opened nicely: Quick and quiet. Just as they needed.

"We could knit our clothes together and make a rope! That's it! It will take some time, but we can do it!" Eager to start, Eduard hurried to the closet, pulling several articles of clothing out and throwing them on the bed. "Now we just need something to sew with-"

"-And we'll need to set time aside to do this... Have you even thought this through? It's not good to rush these things, Estonia," Toris interrupted, putting the clothes Eduard had taken out back where they belonged. "And what will we wear in the meanwhile?"

Estonia smiled devilishly as another thought came to mind. He was just on a roll that day.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The four of them sat in silence as they ate.

Russia was bitter from seeing them in their military uniforms. Seriously, what was up with that?

Raivis wore a maroon military uniform with brown epaulettes, Eduard wore a deep green military suit, his glasses in place as usual and Toris wore a green military uniform, his tall boots on although he wasn't planning on leaving the house that day.

It was pretty strange, seeing as they usually wore regular clothes. He highly doubted they were up to something though, no matter how odd they acted.

Lost in thought, Russia had almost forgotten he was expecting his sisters when the doorbell rang. _Perfect timing._

Toris moved to answer the door but Ivan stopped him, telling him to sit back down. "It's a surprise. Stay in here." Having said that, the Russian man exited, leaving three very confused nations.

"Since when does he answer the door..?" Estonia muttered quietly. Latvia shrugged, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. Just as Lithuania was about to tell them they were just being paranoid, voices were heard. Feminine voices. "Oh hell no."

"I can't believe you invited me...and the tramp...to live with you in your home! You must be coming around big brother! I can see it now, a summer wedding. And since you like sunflowers so much that could go into my bouquet and-"

Russia cut her off, giving her a tired smile. "Natalia, I don't know if Toris would like that very much."

Lithuania whipped his head around to stare at the doorway in shock. It was true, he wouldn't like it at all. But not on Russia's account. No, it was Belarus that he wanted. The beautiful nation whom didn't even give him the time of day unless she was breaking his fingers. _He thinks I'll be jealous for him..._

"Big brother, I do not return his feelings! Why should we let him get in the way of our love?!" She was whining now, most likely gripping onto her brothers coat with iron fists.

A sad sigh was heard. "Nata," Ukraine was here too? "Ivan cares about his underlings feelings."

Before either of the younger siblings could respond, Eduard caught their attention. When had he gotten there? Maybe while those three were engrossed in their conversation and Lithuania and Latvia were too busy in their on little worlds he'd gotten up and made his way to the door. "Trying to leave again?" Russia said coolly, his dark aura appearing.

Gulping, the Estonian shook his head fiercely. "No, I just wanted to see who was at the door."

The dark aura disappeared immediately, a grin taking over the tall Russian mans face.

"Ah, you see Eduard,"_There he goes again, saying my human name like he cares about me, _"I invited them to live with us." _What the heck for?_ As if he was a mind reader, Ivan answered Estonia's unspoken question with a cheerful voice.

"They're going to make sure you don't try to leave me again."

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

"Babysitters!" The fair haired nation threw his hands up in mock defeat. "Can you believe that?! As if that's going to stop us!"

Lithuania rolled his eyes. "They'd catch us."

"It's worth a shot!"

"Is it?!" Toris was instantly on his feet, eyebrows furrowed together in anger. He gestured towards a shirtless Latvia, bringing Estonia's attention to the welts and bruises and the younger nations back.

It went silent as the two young nations looked down in shame. Walking to the door, the oldest took hold of the doorknob. "I didn't think so." He nodded his head towards the bed. "Go to bed, I'll be back."

Raivis raised his head, staring at his brother with a curious expression, "Where are you going?"

Lithuania's stern expression softened as he gave a weak smile. "Don't worry, it's nothing to worry about."

"So now you're keeping things from us.." Although said softly, the accusation in Eduard's voice was clear. Toris never kept secrets from them. He usually told them everything. Why stop that now?

"It isn't important," Toris bit his lip softly, opening the door and stepping out of the room. Oh, his brothers would never know about his little agreement with Russia. No one could know. "But if it was..." He continued, speaking in a quiet voice, "You two would be the first to know." And with that he closed the door behind him. Lying to his brothers... He hated it, but...Frankly, Lithuania saw no better options.

Back inside of the room, Estonia and Latvia settled into bed, the latter flinching as he remembered the injuries on his back and turning on his stomach to avoid the pain. Eduard stared at the ceiling, deep in thought... _Toris tells us everything...Important or not.._ Pressing his lip into a hard line, he tried to remember if Toris had been acting strange lately.

A bit. The brunette had acted more affectionate towards Ivan. Had been kinder. Eduard had seen them together a few times but never doing anything. _I wonder.._


	6. Promise?

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed and to those whom are following this story! It means a lot~**

**This chapter is basically just Estonia and Latvia talking to each other, so if you want just skip it.**

Latvia sat cross legged on the library floor, leaning against one of the bookshelves. In his hands was one of his favorite books. He was so absorbed in it he didn't even notice Estonia standing in front of him, until...

"What are you reading?"

Jumping, Raivis looked up at his older 'brother' with fearful eyes. "Don't tell Mr. Russia that I come in here..." He begged somewhat shakily. Eduard sighed, kneeling down in front of the younger nation and reached out to ruffle his hair.

"Your secret's safe with me, Raivy."

The little nation let out a sigh of relief, closing the book to show Estonia the cover. "Oh, that's a good read."

Latvia nodded with a grin. "It really is, one of my favorites actually. I wish I could be more like the people in this book, or rather have a life like them. It'd be nice to have a big family, so long as we got along and stuff. I think you, Toris and I would be happy if we lived with the characters in this book, Eduard, I really do. We wouldn't have to worry about Russia hurting us anymore and without having to escape! I'd like that, I don't think I can handle another..." He trailed off, pressing his lips into a hard line.

Frowning, Estonia moved to sit beside his younger brother and put an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close. "I get what you mean, Latvia, I really do..." He said softly as Raivis rested his head on the blonde's shoulder. "I hate being here. I never really see you smile like you did just a few moments ago... It's like he's scarred us so much you're scared to be happy because you know it probably won't last. And it's even harder now that Toris has been leaving us in the middle of the night... I tell you, something fishy is going on with him and Mr. Russia... Otherwise, why would he keep things from us? He's never done that before..."

Shifting his gaze to Latvia, he saw the violet eyed nation had tears welling up in his eyes. Sniffing, Raivis wiped them away quickly. "Ed...?"

"Yes Raivis?"

A pause. "Will you promise me something?"

Eduard hesitated before nodding his head.

"Promise you and I will stick together? And that we won't stop telling each other everything?"

Smiling slightly, Estonia moved so he was kneeling down in front of the younger nation again. Taking Latvia's hands in his face and looking him in the eyes, he nodded fiercely. "I promise it on everything I have."

Tears streaming down his cheeks, Latvia laughed weakly, throwing his arms around Eduard. "Thank you...And.. Sorry for crying... I.. don't know why, but the thought of Toris choosing Russia over us is just..." And then Raivis was sobbing into Eduard's shoulder, tightening his arms around the older nation.

"I know... But I don't think he's really choosing him over us. Besides..." Estonia pulled Raivis away from him, setting his hands on his little 'brothers' shoulder and looking at him with a sly grin. "Toris isn't the only one that can keep secrets."

"What do you mean...?" Raivis had gone from sobbing mess to confused, calm nation in 0.5 seconds.

"We're going through with my window plan."

"But Toris said-"

"Toris isn't going to know."

**Short chapter is short. D: **

**I'll update soon though.**


	7. Brothers Find Out

"Where do you go at night?"

Toris froze, hand on the doorknob. Of course Eduard would notice something. He wasn't like Latvia. Estonia always picked up on things, he was just that smart. Maybe he was even a genius, but if he was, he was certainly holding back because a genius would have figured out a way to get them out by now.

"Ever think I simply need to use the bathroom?"

Estonia snorted at this, eyes narrowing at the older nation. "For nine hours?"

Toris shrugged at this, not letting his face betray his emotions. "I get constipated."

At this, Latvia snickered and Estonia lost the tough guy facade, bursting into laughter. "What have you been eating to accomplish that?!"

_Perfect, they somehow fell for that, _thought Lithuania, faking a scowl at his younger 'siblings' and crossing his arms. "Bananas I guess, I don't know. Do I look like I keep track of what I eat?"

Estonia and Latvia exchanged a glance before cracking up again. It was nice to see them laughing like that, even though the situation really wasn't that funny. Taking advantage of the distraction, Toris groaned in good nature and slipped out of the room to make his way to Russia's. Never would he ever tell his brothers about what went on at night. They wouldn't accept it. Matter of fact, they would never look at him the same way again. Yes, it was best to keep it a secret from them. Though Toris would never admit it, he actually found something a bit endearing in the behavior of Ivan since they had become a 'couple'. He was actually in no hurry to get away now. It was a bit selfish, but he couldn't help it. The heart wants what the heart wants.

* * *

Estonia and Latvia agree wholeheartedly on that, but their hearts want to get the fuck out of there.

"Did you buy any of that?" Raivis asked, propping himself up into a sitting position using his elbows and quirking an eyebrow at the older nation. Estonia scoffed, putting his glasses on and glaring daggers at the door as if Toris could somehow feel his energy.

"Nope. Not a single word of it. How about you?"

Raivis shook his head fiercely, turning to stick his tongue out at the door, also hoping Toris would somehow feel his energy. "Nuh uh. Should we get the sewing stuff out?" Eduard didn't answer however, simply dropping to his knees and pulling knitting needles and thread out from under the bed. Actions certainly do speak louder than words. Raivis pulled the clothes out from under the mattress, spreading them all over the bed so they could begin their work. They had decided to hide their supplies near the bed so they wouldn't make as much noise and a great idea that had been, no sarcasm intended.

They knit the clothes together in silence for a few moments before Raivis spoke up. "So what do you think he really does?" he wondered out loud. Eduard thought about this for a moment. What **did** Toris do? Where did he even go? And what was so secret about it that he couldn't tell them?

Letting out a deep sigh, Eduard scowled, answering with, "Who knows? It's like he's a different person. First he's nice to Russia, second he's hesitant about escaping, third he's keeping secrets from us now-" And then it hit him. Eduard threw the supplies at the wall, with a loud, "THAT TRAITOR!"

Raivis flinched, not understanding what was going on. "Ed?" he said quietly, reaching out to pat his 'brother's' cheek, but he was too slow. Eduard jumped up from the bed, slamming their door open in blind rage. "Ed?!" Raivis called, staring for a moment before getting up and going after him as Estonia stomped down the hall to Russia's room. "What are you doing?!" Raivis whisper screamed as he saw the turquoise eyed nation stop in front of Ivan's door, nostrils flaring, "You know we're not supposed to-!" Eduard cut him off with the sound of him slamming Ivan's door open. They both went into shock at what they saw inside. Eduard snapped out of it first, face looking betrayed as he felt and he muttered a simple, "I knew it", before grabbing Latvia and storming back to their room. Latvia's eyes were wide and it took some effort for him to shut his mouth after seeing Lithuania and Russia...kissing.

Lithuania was in their room moments later, blurting out apologies but also blaming them for it indirectly. "It's not what you two think!" He spluttered.

"Then what was it, Toris?!" Eduard roared at him, getting in his face. How could Toris do that? After he told them he hated Russia. After he said he would get them away from Russia. After Russia beat the shit out of them, he thought it was okay to just go out and screw around with him. Not even Latvia would do that, and he was supposed to be the spacey one.

"You just don't understand! It's compli-"

"Don't you tell me I don't understand because I understand perfectly well that you're a traitor and a hypocrite and a liar! Right Raivis?!" Eduard whipped his head around to look at the younger nation, who was leaning against the wall, nodding his head in agreement while hugging his knees.

"I'm doing this for you two!" Toris screamed in Eduard's face, getting frustrated at the way the younger nations were treating him. Why couldn't they just understand the situation? They were being a bit ungrateful. Even if he was really in love with Ivan, why was it any of their business?

Eduard scoffed and Raivis let out a weak laugh. "More like you're doing him for us." Toris gawked at Raivis, surprised something like that had come out of little Latvia's mouth.

Eduard reached over, high fiving Raivis before turning to give Toris a cheeky grin. "1-0 Estovia."

Toris groaned loudly, leaving the room. "You two are so immature!"

Eduard walked over, standing in the doorway and leaning over the way ghetto girls do and rolled his head all sassy-like, screaming, "THAT'S RIGHT, GO BACK TO RUSSIA! TRAITOR!"

Toris stopped in front of Russia's door before spinning around on his heel to face Estonia. "I'M ALREADY IN RUSSIA!" And with that, he stepped inside Russia's room, slamming the door behind him. And Eduard did the same with his door, taking a few steps over to the big bed, grabbing a pillow and shoving his face into it to scream.

"Hey Ivan, can you hand me that pillow?" Russia complied and Toris screamed into it as well.

Meanwhile, back in Eduard and Latvia's room, Raivis poked Eduard's side repeatedly, going, "Hey Ed? Eddy? Eduard? Estonia? Estoniaaa?"

Eduard jerked up, "WHAT IS IT?"

Raivis winced before holding up the makeshift rope they had knitted. "Is this long enough?"

Eduard's anger faded away, replaced by excitement as he examined the ghetto rope. "It's perfect."


End file.
